Tag: twist and curl

Alright finallyyyy have my hair to the color I wanted. Before (first pic) was just the first step.

I was in Charleston and needed to have the color finished up (for my own sanity) so of course i went to Kara Fuller (Charleston WV) and told her “idk what I want. Here’s some pics of what I like. Here’s what I don’t like”. And she went in.

I’m no professional so take this with a grain of salt but it looked to me like she did heavy foil highlights in the front, less in the back and then some random highlights throughout without foils. She feathered in the color to make the transition look more natural. Then I sat under the IR light for 15 mins and she rinsed and toned. That’s it.

Whole process from start to finish took like 1.5 hours. To do ANYTHING to my hair in that little time is a miracle. I set it in twists after the color and unleashed last night because I couldn’t wait.

Color is exactly what I wanted with so much depth and dimension and not orange anymore lol. And my curls don’t seem damaged from either process – though it always seems a little drier the next day so I will do a deep conditioning mask tonight before I set it again (because I took down damp twists last night so this set won’t last long)

Alright, I should be done stressing yal out for a bit. Maybe. I mean I still use sulfate shampoos and ecostyler gel so you never know what ima do. Clearly I’m a rebel.

I hear it all the time. “My hair isn’t growing!” “How do you get your hair to grow so fast?” “I hope I can get my hair that long one day”

Listen, in my opinion, there’s a huge problem in the natural hair community. And that issue is that we spend however much money being a product junkie buying the finest, most organic, natural ingredients. I mean standing in the product aisle READING THE BACK OF ISH (this is me too so i ain’t mad at ya).

From the first second I held my son in my arms I knew I’d never love my job again.

I had a “good” situation in America. I took off 12 weeks after my c section. And then I started paying someone (someone amazing) to raise my beautiful son. I have a chemistry degree and I knew it was time to leave the lab (career ceiling without going for a PhD, chemicals all in my aura while pregnant). I loved the lab, and then I loved regulatory.

And then i held my son. I’m dramatic af. And I’m not judging moms who aren’t as crazy or weren’t depressed over going to work. It just wasn’t for me.

But I was the bread winner. I started my career in pharma in 2012 after earning a bachelors in chemistry. I’ve always had a salary and benefits and done well. Our family has benefited for sure. We have had some rough patches but all and all for a family our size at our age we have done well.

I thought I couldn’t quit and be home with LB. So I went back to work. And I cried. And I tried. And I hated everything about it.

When he was about 10 months old I decided my time at my first company was done. We relocated back to my hubbys old town and I found a new job – still in pharma. Yal, I was bomb at this job. Customer facing and I basically managed the quality end of around 14 companies products manufactured at the site. I started to gain some confidence. And I decided to extend that to working on me – so I started Beachbody.

I lost the weight I needed to lose.

I took charge of my health and became a coach. And you know what I discovered?

I’m good at a lot of things other than chemistry and pharma. I’m a good motivator. I’m encouraging. I make a way out of no way.

I’m good.

I started to think “maybe I could make this my full time?” I set a goal for end of 2018. And around August – I got scared.

I got another job offer from a local company. It was more money, more opportunities… I was on the fence for awhile but I took it.

I started right before the leadership retreat in October. And I learned something at that retreat.

Those women there who are now home with their kids while they work – they’re just like me. They’re not cut from a different cloth and they don’t have super powers. They just believed in themselves and put the work in.

So I did the same. I busted my butt. At the same time – bae had just gotten his career back on track (that’s a story for another day but lay down with dogs and get fleas). We ran the budget a zillion times.

And it worked.

So after freaking out for 4 months – i did it. I have prayed, I have cried, i have talked to countless friends about it, I have wondered if I was crazy. But I feel at peace now.

Here we are taught this idea that we should spend 13 straight years in school, then get a 4 year degree, then work for a major corporation until death. And I’ve done it and I was successful financially. But I wasn’t happy. I wanted to be home with my son. I wanted to enjoy my whole life – not just Saturday and Sunday. I am tireddddd of selling hours away from my son for $35 a pop. And i don’t have to.

Here’s a secret – you can really actually do anything you want. Just set your mind to it and GO.

Of course there will be changes. I won’t be making both incomes anymore, just 1. But I am excited to see how my business flourishes with more time to focus on growing into the person and mother I want to be. I feel like always pushing towards my “assigned goals” that society nudged me towards stunted my growth as a woman. I’m excited to explore who I am while living a life by design.

So it’s a risk and it’s new and it’s scary but I’m doing it. I couldn’t do any of this without first of all God (of course). Close second is hubby – who finally recognized how bomb Beachbody has been for me and actually is the one who suggested I finally dive in.

I also have to give a shout out to every single person who supports my dreams (this includes my 3400+ followers – Yal are the BEST and i love yal so much), my extended family (especially my sister) And of course my beautiful supportive sponsor coach Maria (and hers, Misti) and each and every wonderful woman who has given me the chance to help them along their path to a better version of them. Omg I love yal. I can’t hardly believe this.

I lived someone else’s American dream my entire life.

Now I’m going to go live mine ✌🏾

TL:DR – I quit my job to be a Beachbody coach full time.

BTW – I’d love for you to join me.

if you feel anything like I felt, let’s talk about if coaching could be for you. OR something else even. What’s your dream?

I posted on social media today about my dislike for transformation Tuesday.

I don’t like it. I think we (including me) use it as an excuse to knock our former self and our current progress. I see women all the time with BOMB transformations who post basically ‘disclaimer’ captions. “I’m not where I want to be but…” “I know I’m not bikini ready but…” “I still have long to go but…”

Wtf yal. What if your significant other said that about you? What if you said that about them? Your kids?

You’d be an asshole.

But somehow we make it acceptable to be an asshole to ourselves. And it ain’t cool.

Listen. I’m a bad natural. I still use silicones. I wash with a sulfate shampoo like 2x a month. I don’t finger detangle. I don’t prepoo. I ain’t right.

But I can get my hair poppin for like a month for under $20. And though I LOVE some of the pricey, healthier lines (kinky curly, deva curl to name my faves) – I used to be a college student. And ima forever be cheap. Scouts honor.

So here’s a few of my favorite cheap hair products that do awesome on my hair. They ain’t organic. But they’ll have you poppin.

So I’m pretty amazing for the fact that that my hair is approaching waist length and I can still get my wash day done in 30 minutes flat.

It didn’t use to be like that. I use to dread wash day even more than I do now back when my hair was this length before (check my about me – in 2013 I cut my bra strap length hair to a taper for a year). I would hop in the shower with my hair loose and wash it all piled up on my head. Then I would condition, rinse it out, and get out the shower and wrap my head in a towel. Then try to part and section and section and detangle.

Sis. No. Don’t do it. Once your past shoulder length – for the love of all that is holy SECTION YOUR HAIR TO WASH. Don’t be like me. Mistakes were made early on.